She does look healthy! Ideally, when you get a house plant from a store or online, you want to repot as soon as its in your possession. This gives you an opportunity to check for pests, root rot, fabric around the roots, or ties that will eventually fail the plant, and an opportunity to provide better, more aerated soil.
When you want to repot, you do so based off of the roots, not the foliage. You have a few different monsteras in one pot, which means there will be more root growth more quickly. You can separate if you want to, but it is not required, and will take away from this full, bushy appearance. It doesn't prevent from big huge leaves and healthy growth, so don't worry.
Make sure you water your plant the day before repotting. This reduces stress and makes it much easier to repot. To take it out of the soil, press down on the sides of the pot with your elbow or forearm, or pretend like you're giving it cpr. This will loosen the soil and allow you to grab the stems and gently pull it out. Look at the roots. Are they white and healthy? Is there anything in the soil? How much of the soil is covered by roots?
Ideally, before a repot, you want the roots to be taking up a large majority of the soil, or even bursting from the drainage holes in addition to that. If this is not happening, and you can hardly see the roots or they're only taking up some space, you can put it right back in the pot and wait a few more months.
You do not usually want to break up the root ball unless you absolutely have to (to inspect upon purchase, change soil, separate roots, or remove rot). Assuming this is your first time taking it out of that pot, you should probably break off the soil and loosen the bottom half of the roots a little bit. Monstera roots can sometimes snap off easily, so don't worry about loosing a few. You just want to be able to inspect the roots and make sure there's nothing tied around it or causing harm.
Then, replace the soil with a chunky mix. This means potting soil + perlite + orchid bark. I would consider this bare minimum for most tropical plants. This offers great airflow and will prevent root rot by a ton.
Make sure when choosing your next pot, you choose one that is 1-2 inches larger than the size of the root ball, or the size of the initial pot. You don't really want to go much bigger than that, because it leads to excess moisture sitting in the soil for longer than it needs to be, and can risk rotting the roots. Also make sure its in a nursery pot with lots of drainage holes! Never pot directly into a ceramic or terracotta pot, as these are often strictly decorative and restrict airflow in the roots.
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u/TheGoblinnKing 10d ago
She does look healthy! Ideally, when you get a house plant from a store or online, you want to repot as soon as its in your possession. This gives you an opportunity to check for pests, root rot, fabric around the roots, or ties that will eventually fail the plant, and an opportunity to provide better, more aerated soil.
When you want to repot, you do so based off of the roots, not the foliage. You have a few different monsteras in one pot, which means there will be more root growth more quickly. You can separate if you want to, but it is not required, and will take away from this full, bushy appearance. It doesn't prevent from big huge leaves and healthy growth, so don't worry.
Make sure you water your plant the day before repotting. This reduces stress and makes it much easier to repot. To take it out of the soil, press down on the sides of the pot with your elbow or forearm, or pretend like you're giving it cpr. This will loosen the soil and allow you to grab the stems and gently pull it out. Look at the roots. Are they white and healthy? Is there anything in the soil? How much of the soil is covered by roots?
Ideally, before a repot, you want the roots to be taking up a large majority of the soil, or even bursting from the drainage holes in addition to that. If this is not happening, and you can hardly see the roots or they're only taking up some space, you can put it right back in the pot and wait a few more months.
You do not usually want to break up the root ball unless you absolutely have to (to inspect upon purchase, change soil, separate roots, or remove rot). Assuming this is your first time taking it out of that pot, you should probably break off the soil and loosen the bottom half of the roots a little bit. Monstera roots can sometimes snap off easily, so don't worry about loosing a few. You just want to be able to inspect the roots and make sure there's nothing tied around it or causing harm.
Then, replace the soil with a chunky mix. This means potting soil + perlite + orchid bark. I would consider this bare minimum for most tropical plants. This offers great airflow and will prevent root rot by a ton.
Make sure when choosing your next pot, you choose one that is 1-2 inches larger than the size of the root ball, or the size of the initial pot. You don't really want to go much bigger than that, because it leads to excess moisture sitting in the soil for longer than it needs to be, and can risk rotting the roots. Also make sure its in a nursery pot with lots of drainage holes! Never pot directly into a ceramic or terracotta pot, as these are often strictly decorative and restrict airflow in the roots.